After the League
by Deathlark
Summary: When an event changed Valoran for good, the champions now have new goals and new alliances. But this new balance and objectives will test the true strength and persistence of those remaining. For what happened After the League was broken will impact what happened forever. And what will become of the champions? The answers remain unknown... Rated M for violence.
1. Chapter 1

After the League – A League of Legends Fanfiction by Deathlark. Chapter 1, The Kill Heard Across the World

AUTHA'S MUDDAFUGGIN NOTE: WHAT IS THIS YOU MIGHT ASK DEATHLARK? A LOL FANFICTION?

GET BACK TO WORK AND-

**NO SHUT THE *()& ()*$&^%)(* &)(#*%& )(*%& UP I DO WHAT I WANT**

**LEAGUE OF LEGENDS IS ANOTHER SANDBOX GAME IN MY OPINION AND I CAME UP WITH THIS AND DAMNIT IT WONT GET OUT OF MY HEAD SO EFF OFF AND TAKE IT LIKE A MAN!**

Okay, now that that rant was done, I've been away for unreasonable amounts of time for reasons. I picked up League, and although I suck at it, I love the lore and characters. So this brewed up in my mind, and I went through with it.

These are going to be short blurbs but there's going to be a lot of them. I'm thinking 1.5k to 2.5k words per chapter with the exclusion of beefing so yeah, short.

Please enjoy~

(Little warning, I've studied a lot of the League Lore… Things may fly across some of your heads, but don't let this deter you from reading)

**AUTHA'S MUDDAFUGGIN DISCLAIMER: Riot owns League. Not me.**

…

It was a normal day in Runeterra.

Nothing big, just the normal match of champions brawling it out.

The summoners were doing their job.

The match was a decisive one, equal teams with equal skill. On the blue side was Kennen, Blitzcrank, Lux, Kog'Maw, and Amumu. The blue side had Janna, Draven, Nocturne, Warwick, and Galio. Many of the turrets were destroyed, and team fights had broken out. Now 50 minutes into the game, there was an ambitious wait for the big push.

The campus in which these fights take place is secure. Unlike the Crystal Spire, the summoner's rift is a realm solely created for these fights.

The calamity must have occurred from within, as none could enter the match.

But there were ways around it.

More than 10 summoners could be manipulating the rift at once.

A malevolent batch of summoners had been waiting, and stormed the League's primary control ground for the summoner's rift matches. They quickly overthrew the men with the help of Malzahar and forced the summoners to keep going on.

Abruptly, Malzahar, Cho'Gath, Kha'Zix, and Nocturne suddenly swarmed the rift with pre-requisite items. Trinity Forces, Phantom Dancers, Bloodthirsters, and everything else most desired by summoners.

Malzahar was testing if the rift could withstand more than 10 champions at once, in which it clearly could.

It didn't blow over well. Quickly, the people thought this was an abrupt invasion and operation to destroy the league. Authorities and champions quickly rushed to the summoner's ground in the Institute and saw Malzahar.

He took off running, and was chased. The rogue summoners were killed for their disregard.

Poppy, Garen, and Master Yi were all chasing down Malzahar. He was pushed to the forest nearby, hoping to escape to the territory of Noxus.

Sion was on his normal stroll around the Institute's peaceful grounds. He suddenly saw Malzahar rip by, running as if a squad of bloodthirsty Demacians were coming his way. Sion was confused. Why was the prophet of the void so scared?

Sion readied his axe and prepared to smash whatever came his way.

He readied and swung as soon as he heard rustling.

A single scream was let out.

Sion had no clue what he caused. Poppy's untimely death was too abrupt for words. Conflict would boil over into outrage.

Yordles became extremely resilient and started to resent every interaction made. Including decisions among their own.

The normal populous of cities like Ionia, Noxus, and Demacia all started suffering similar issues. Many conflicts arose amongst each other, even separating the closest of friends like Garen and Jarvan IV.

Sion was treated as a death bringer and was laid back to rest. It was the only punishment they could find suitable.

The members of the Shadow Isles had an idea to settle the conflict. Simply restore order by going to the leaders of the Institute and demand order.

It turned bloody. Innocents were slaughtered unwillingly when the Institute's guards tried to force them out. A massive bloodshed ripped out in the Institute, caused by the members of the Shadow Isles. No champions were slain, but Ezreal came dangerously close.

The Institute started getting irritated, especially by the near killing of Ezreal. Losing two champions had been enough. The authorities wanted a way to stop the violence, but the divides amongst champions had become too deep.

In one meeting, the authorities were there, when suddenly Swain, the Master Tactician, presented the Institute with none other than a glorious plan. The Institute held an unaccountable amount of magic, as displayed their abrupt stalling of Kalamanda town before, and turning it into the famous Crystal Spire. Swain knew that power was a glorious, influential source, and that the Institute could use it for their intentions.

Normally, Ezreal, an important figure in the Institute, would deter such drastic measures. But his near death, and that of other champions, swayed him to allow Swain to go ahead and show the Institute's magic dominance once again.

The grand mages of the institute would release their power to solidify the boundaries of the countries in Valoran. Walls would magically be put up at the borders of the territories. None would climb over them, none would destroy them. It would be an abrupt and very disrupting way to settle the conflicts, but it _should _work over time.

Out of nowhere, during the ritual, Swain stood upon the altar which Ezreal was helping to start the process. Soraka and Karma were there to aid in the ritual as well, and were suddenly imprisoned against the wall. Swain imprisoned the mages doing the process, and did his best to stall Ezreal.

The Prodigal Explorer didn't give up without a fight. Although a seemingly nice and friendly man, Ezreal was fierce. Immediately, he broke into a fight against Swain.

The fight started to disrupt the ritual. The mages continued to cast, actually unaware of the issue and too focused.

The blows from Ezreal and Swain started to mix with the ritual. The magic started becoming volatile.

Ezreal used his Trueshot Barrage to solidify a defeating blow, and defeat did the attack accomplish. Swain was launched back to the altar in a violent blast of ultimate magic. His thoughts went into the very process.

Suddenly, the mages vanished into thin air. A great ball of energy stood in the middle of the room. Swain smiled, and Ezreal was afraid. He tried to stop Swain, but he was already too intrigued by the ball.

Swain immediately gained power. He slammed Ezreal and locked him to the floor of the room. Swain started becoming corrupt with foreign knowledge of summoners, powers, and limitless strength.

Ezreal desperately tried to escape, but it was futile. Swain's eyes glowed bright blue, and the ball exploded, blinding everything from the Great Barrier to Ionia. Not even Swain knew what happened.

When all the champions came to be, they were all in a room, imprisoned inside cells and cages. Swain stood in the middle of a great circle in which everyone was looking. Swain gave out simple orders:

"You are all going to return to Valoran, which is now in a new world. The skies are dark, the ground creaks, and the seas ache with every wave. Any 3 of you must retrieve the great artifacts of Kra'Jul and bring them to the Mig'Vulz altar. Those who achieve this shall become the greatest that Valoran knows, the best there is, the kings of everything! Killing each other will send those back to their homeland weaker every time they are slain. 5 times, and they return to this realm to wait for the new beginning. There are no other rules.

Ah, and there can be less than 3, but sensibly, you should group up to be safest. There are no other rules from here. Good luck. AHAHAHAHA!" Swain laughed as everyone went to their random destination. Some near each other, others far. The inhabitants of Valoran were now scared people, unsure of what purpose they have, what's going on, and who to trust. The lands lay in war and despair, and much else lay ahead.

And so it had started with the killing of poppy, the kill heard across the world. It had now evolved into a completely new prospect. What had happened at the Institute though? Was this an illusion? A trick by Swain? Just what was happening?

The champions were very confused by this prospect, and some hard feelings were transferred over. Then again, some good intentions were transferred over as well.

In the end, the League was over. The Institute was an empty shell in this new Valoran. None were sure what would happen when these fragments were returned. Swain had set up a foreboding and confusing world that had more questions to be answered than ever.

So the story of what happened after the league begins. Our champions now lie blank across the fields of Valoran with their objectives in mind and plans at hand. While many were ambitious, all were unsure of what was to come.

…

Thanks for reading! Please fav/review/alert to show appreciation, and see ya later.


	2. Chapter 2

After the League – A League of Legends Fanfiction by Deathlark. Chapter 2, Demacians Stick Together

Autha's Note: _

Nothing to do but write right now. Hurricane sandy didn't give me a power-out so things are nice.

Enjoy the chapter, I'll be writing a bunch of these pretty quickly.

**DiscLAMEr: I don't own the rights to League of Legends.**

||| (Dividers)

Garen slowly woke up from his face lying flat in the ground. He got up quickly and brushed himself off. His sword was at his side, and he looked around. He remembered Swain's speech and what to do. He had ideas, but he still couldn't forgive Jarvan for what he did.

He was in Demacia's main court building. He recognized the art instantly. The old works of Jendin the Blessed shone brilliantly with the sun piercing the window. The great shining sun did not reflect the current mood of the situation.

Garen was very much irritated by this entire stunt and was very suspicious of Swain. There was a tint to his tone that unsettled Garen.

However, it was now noticeable there was no way out of this, and he certainly didn't want to spend- however long it may last- his time bored in a capsule spectating everything that happened.

It was also clear that he should find some allies and men to support him. Jarvan was out of the question, however Xin Zhao was a friend of Garen, and Lux is Garen's sister. After all, the "prize" goes to three doesn't it?

So Garen set off to see if anyone else was located in the Demacian grounds. He expected there to be some, and he saw and met 2 in his time in Demacia.

He spied on a very bewildered Kennen, and was cautious for the Kinkou were brutal and relentless. The elder Kinkou was tired and was a bit nervous without his Kinkou brethren.

Garen passively showed himself to Kennen, dropped his sword, and bowed. Kennen got ready with shuriken, but did not throw.

"Let us pass without harm, Kinkou. If you wish to know a way out of Demacia, then it is east from here," Garen commandingly told Kennen. Kennen remained silent, and dashed east quickly. He was glad that there was no blood yet.

The second champion he encountered was none other than his sister. It was a touching reunion.

"Sister!" Garen called out. Lux's heart suddenly jumped when she heard the word called out, but was relieved to hear it was Garen.

"Garen… Thank the heavens it's you," Lux said, walking up to Garen, then giving him a hug. Garen rubbed her head a bit.

"Yes, I understand that everything is very… chaotic and frightening right now. Are you alright?" Garen asked.

"Yes, thankfully. I'm… scared. I don't want to die…" Lux whimpered.

"You won't be dying if I can help it. For now, we need to find some that will be willing to help us, perhaps some other champions. We need to find others. I think trio's at this point are the only reasonable idea."

"A trio? That sounds like a good idea. I think others will feel the same way… It's like Twisted Treeline, heh." Garen chuckled.

"It does remind me of Twisted Treeline. I'm afraid this is a lot more serious though."

"Right…" Lux rubbed her head nervously.

"Is there something wrong sister?" Garen was always concerned about his sister.

"Nothing. Who should we aim to be our 3rd member?"

"Hm… Not Jarvan. No, not him at all. I was thinking that Xin Zhao would be a good help, but do you have any better ideas?" Lux was silent. She twirled her baton for a second.

"I know Ezreal must be steamed about Swain, and so are we. Perhaps Ezreal could be a help?"

"True. He is quite a force to be reckoned with. You know, honestly, at this point we should just take in any roamers or people that have nowhere to go. It would be a nice idea?" Lux started to become a bit red-faced.

"Uh… Garen…" Garen was confused with her sudden demeanor.

"Lux, what are you trying to tell me?"

"Aren't you forgetting? _'Demacians stick together'_. What would you think if someone like Talon needed a group? Huh?" Garen slapped himself in the face.

"WHY DID I FORGET? *sigh* Thank you for reminding me. Yes, we shall scout out a Demacian. But why did you suggest Ezreal then?"

"Because, if you remember, Ezreal has been an aid to Demacia before even though he's more devoted to the institute. He's also been very critical of Noxus too."

"This is true, he could be considered a partial Demacian if need be. I guess we can take him under our wing if need be." Lux smiled.

"Okay then! Where do we set out first?" Lux ambitiously asked.

"To wherever our adventured may take us, but I have a feeling that the Shurima desert would be an optimal place for finding one of these relics. Does this sound good?" Garen replied.

"Sounds like it! I have nothing else to do, and I certainly don't want to get bored, so let's go."

And so the siblings set off with a brighter attitude than normal, and had an objective; for now.

Courageous Jarvan IV came out kicking. When he spotted Lee Sin at the edge of his sight, he charged at him quickly. Lee Sin fled, frustrating Jarvan.

He was very mad ever since his sudden disagreement with Garen. The truth was that Garen was wrong, and Jarvan felt that he was simply denying the truth. It was too clear to actually think it was a hoax. Stupid moron...

Jarvan didn't care which people he would join. From Cho'Gath to Hecarim to Katarina, it could be anyone at this point. Anyone but Garen is all he could think of. He now got mad at himself for charging at Lee Sin so abruptly.

He wandered aimlessly, unsure of where he was. It was just normal plainland; it could be anywhere. He saw no reference point, no monument, landmark, or town in sight. He threw his javelin into the ground in fury and called out.

It was a rage fueled from confusion. He was more confused than others, unsure what to think about everything; whether to trust the Tactician's words or to be rebellious. He was mostly confused about this world he was in. He knew it was Valoran; there were no unusual arcane feelings or auras in the land. Jarvan had once been to Ionia and felt an unusual hint of courage. It was an interesting feeling.

So Jarvan aimlessly traveled until he could find a way to figure out where he was. There were some clouds intercepting the normal sunshine, so the dreary mood was reflected by the weather too. Jarvan trudged along grumpily.

Xin Zhao didn't have a good start. He found himself in Piltover, and in a pitch-black factory of Piltover too. He fumbled around aimlessly until he fell into a machine. He had to push himself through gears, hurting him a fair amount and leaving him aching on the ground. He waited awhile but the feeling of getting smashed between those pieces of metal was chilling.

He staggered through Piltover until he encountered Nocturne. Nocturne was aggressive and fought Xin. As Nocturne was about to finish off Xin, Xin managed to dodge just out of the way and hit Nocturne with a powerful, driving the haunt away.

Already badly harmed, he wearily roamed around Piltover hoping to find a sign of support. He eventually clashed with Riven, which left him running and badly injured. He also heard the cries of a lost Amumu, lonely and sad as he is. Xin Zhao always pitied the poor mummy.

He was without a clue on what to do. Beaten and weak, without a friend, confused and lost in Piltover, and hungry. He wondered what had become of his friends; Garen, Master Yi, Jarvan, and so on. He felt irritated by Jarvan and Garen fighting. They were all good friends, as close as brothers, and then the two of them suddenly hated each other. It was a big misunderstanding too.

He liked the popular saying that was frequently repeated by Demacian soldiers. Despite coming from a Noxian background, Xin Zhao was still very patriotic and loyal to Demacia. He found the quote, "Demacians stick together" a very truthful and good motive to follow. And now, there's not really a way to follow through with that goal.

He toyed with his spear while drinking potions that he had ransacked from Piltover. It was now night time and he was burning a fire. He was nervous and afraid if anyone was around. He was still hurt and healing, and couldn't afford to get into another fight with only 2 potions to spare. Xin had learned the geography of Piltover now, and decided to take refuge in the dark spots. He knew where to hide and where, so he hid inside an abandoned home. He wondered if everyone had been removed from their homes in this weird Valoran.

But for now he just cared about sleeping and getting better. He removed his armor, laid his spear at his side, and fell asleep as comfortably as he could. It was not an easy sleep, as it was filled with paranoia, but he felt much more relaxed than he had been. His hope told him that he would find someone to stick to, even if it wasn't a Demacian group.

Thanksies for readingsies and I'll get the next chapter up soonsies! Byesies!

~DTH~


	3. Chapter 3

After the League – A League of Legends Fanfiction by Deathlark. Chapter 3, Noxian Standards

**Author's note: **Sorry for the delay guys. There was stuff that needed to be handled.

There is going to be an itinerary for the story at the end of this chapter, just a heads up.

Nothing else for now. Have fun reading.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to League of Legends.**

Katarina's vision slowly returned to her. She was a bit mad at Swain for all the commotion, considering he was the Noxian general.

It didn't matter to her now. She assumed that she would have a bit of bias for being a Noxian fighter and such, but she had no idea how and where to start. She was confused mostly at what these "artifacts" were. It all seemed suspicious to her.

She looked at first for where she was, and it was clear that she was in the middle of nowhere. After continuous searching, she admitted to herself that she was lost. She gave up trying in frustration, and wandered blindly in one direction.

She saw a wandering Cho'Gath in a short walk, and decided to leave him be. In such a weird time as this, it's best to not go picking fights, especially with a beast that could eat her whole.

She settled in a small covet in the ground and just sat there without purpose. She fell asleep from boredom, without really expecting it.

Nothing changed when she woke up, so she decided to keep moving in the same direction. No point looking back, she thought.

She eventually found a landmark; the trails of rivers. She followed the small streams and tributaries to eventually get her to the Serpentine river. Where exactly on this river? She did not know.

But it was comforting to have an idea where she was. She got a drink of water and lurked around the jungle gathering simple food and a way to make a shelter.

So in a small cluster of bushes, Katarina quickly started a stealthy and unseen home.

Talon was at a loss on what to do. He was always a bit suspicious of Swain, and the current situation didn't help his anxiety. He started to become paranoid if this was a grand plan of Swain, or a way for him to attain ultimate power.

However, a few things were obvious to him; he had the luxury of being in Noxus. He knew his way around the place well, so he quickly looked around and snooped around to find anyone else.

He found that Fizz, Maokai, and Rammus were all in Noxus. He knew Fizz would screw with him if he talked to him, and Maokai and Rammus were scary things. He preferred a passive approach and kept his watch.

He took to Katarina's quarters, and obviously settled in enjoying the luxuries.

That's when he found an unexpected intruder.

Singed was sitting there in his bed. Talon had met with the mad scientist, and he had been a rather scary person, but a down-to-earth one as well. As a Zaun member, he expected a bit of relaxation from him. (Even if he was responsible for a lot of Noxian deaths during the Ionia invasion)

"Singed, I hope you come with peace," Talon greeted.

"Yeah, whatever. Don't get all fancy with me, servant boy. So you live around this place? Gotta say it's nice around here," Singed said casually. Talon smirked a bit. He was friendlier than he imagined, even for a stressful time like this.

"Kat likes being fancy. 'High class' even if she wears just tight pants and a bra all day… Eh, I don't care. She can have her mixed ways, as long as I get paid," Talon casually replied.

"I hope she doesn't treat you poorly," Singed said.

"No, even if I have to do a lot of heavy lifting for her, she makes sure to reward me. But she has forgotten sometimes… *grumble*" Talon muttered to himself.

"Yeah, I've never worked with an assistant, and for good reasons. I don't want to be the one to tell the people that I 'accidentally' poisoned a person with my most lethal concoction. It wouldn't go over well," Singed said.

"Yeah. I need to sit, been a bit worried about everything."

"About what?"

"Swain. He's always up to something, and I can never get to the bottom of it."

"Perhaps Katarina knows."

"No. Swain and her aren't that good of friends at times. There can be some tension between them."

"Interesting. I thought the two got along great."

"Pff. Publicity smears things."

"Well isn't that true."

"Come to think of it, I did hear something conniving when Swain preached to us in that… err… place… whatever that'll be called. Perhaps you are onto something. Some of the stuff he talked about sounded like it was pertaining to the void almost… never really cared for that weird shit." That spurred interest in Talon's mind.

"This isn't like Noxian Standards… You're right…"

"Come to think of it, he had a weird birth story right?" Talon was silent.

"… I'm starting to get nervous."

"So am I. Come on, I think we have some work to do."

With that, Talon and Singed got up and started plotting. The two got along well for different thought processes. But Talon was still very paranoid and afraid of Swain, ever since Singed brought the oddities of Swain to light. He couldn't stop thinking about it.

LeBlanc couldn't have seen it any clearer. Swain was up to something for his own right. He's truly becoming a king, she thought. She wouldn't be surprised if this whole attempt was to give him even more right to Noxus. Hell, he could even _be _Noxus if he wanted to. The man has an extreme amount of capability at his fingertips; an army, firm arcane mastery, fear, and power.

She pondered Swain's intentions. It was her greatest hunch that it was self-interest, but she considered _every _option. For her, every option is a lot. It can also get her… stuck.

For an hour, she sat on a rock, trying to figure out what Swain could be up to. After an hour of pondering, she saw out of the corner of her eye a hated figure; Fiora.

LeBlanc was patriotic about Noxus, and disliked any Demacian or Demacian supporter. She considered them misguided and too "blind" to see the power of Noxus. She calls them "egotistical and light-loving idiots".

So she typically had fun mangling them by screwing with them in every way possible, such as showing rather embarrassing reflections of Demacians. Often derogative, provocative, and many other –ive words. She enjoys her job pretty thoroughly.

So her immediate notions were rage and scheming when she saw the wandering duelist. It was too foolish to go up to her; she was very strong and very clever, so she had to devise a trap.

An idea popped into her head, so she got into a stealthy spot where Fiora could not see her. She waited for the perfect moment.

She struck out with a ray of light from her staff to blind Fiora. She followed up by casting her sigil and then throwing her chains upon her.

She didn't see it coming when the chains ricocheted back at LeBlanc and hurt herself. Suddenly, Fiora dashed straight to LeBlanc and slit her chest and pinned her down. LeBlanc swiftly dispelled the illusion and shot a stronger sigil at Fiora. Fiora was launched back at the sheer power she was blasted with. Before she could get up, LeBlanc had chained her down again.

Fiora did her best to get up, and went barbaric. She dashed around LeBlanc, blindingly fast and striking in at her with great strength. LeBlanc had no illusion; she expected the grand duelist to be this tough, and now it may be costing her death.

Instead, what she did not expect was the Fiora to simply pin her down and remove her staff from her hand.

"What in ze hell was that for? Why would you fight?" Fiora asked with her heavy accent.

"You Demacian bastards love fighting!" LeBlanc argued.

"I don't give a damn about Demacia! Now quit letting your stereotypes cause your every action!" Fiora argued. LeBlanc was taken back.

"Y-you're not very supportive of Demacia?" LeBlanc asked, rather confused. Every Demacian she's met sure had been supportive of Demacia.

"Yah yah, I know most people just _looove_ Demacia, but I've found some flaws zat I don't like. For one, forced military service is unfair. Plus, zhey rule very strictly. Give some freedom please," Fiora whined. LeBlanc was silent.

"Uh… Sure… Sorry… for judging?" LeBlanc said, a bit confused. She looked around, and realized they were in the mountains.

"Right, right. Now I am going to get moving. I don't like zhis place," Fiora said, in a stern fashion.

"Wait!" LeBlanc yelled. Fiora turned around.

"What now?" she asked with a loathing tone.

"It's not safe to go alone. We should just work together for now," LeBlanc suggested. Really, LeBlanc was very curious and wanted to learn more about Fiora. She seemed to have a really weird personality for a Demacian.

"For now? Fine. But you should pull your weight," Fiora required. LeBlanc smiled and nodded.

"Okay. I'll do what I can." Fiora nodded.

"By ze way, I hope you can tolerate me. I've been known to be annoying to some people," Fiora added with a groan. LeBlanc rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, you have not worked in the Black Rose…" Fiora chuckled a bit.

"Ah I haven't. So I shall listen to what you have to say."

So an unlikely friendship was formed between the two. There was a hint of oddity and peculiarity amongst them, but they did their best to ignore it. They tried to figure out where they were, somewhere in this great mountain pass. It took them awhile, but they soon found their way down… but they were still lost.

Okay, that's this chapter for now. As said, I have a bit of an itinerary:

This story is going to follow a similar format as to what I just did; short 500-700 word blurbs with _maybe _a bit of variety here and there. As said, a 1500 word minimum.

However, every chapter that is a multiple of 5 (5, 10, 15, 20…) is a "special" chapter, that is a good 500-1000 words longer, introduces something important, and has some significance to the story. This will go on throughout the entire thing.

Another note is that I am going to take a bit of a break after chapter 5. I have other stories than this one to work on, and for reasons, I haven't updated those other ones in a month at least. So it may be awhile after chapter 5 for the next chapter. Once other stuff is done, I'll write 6 to # of chapter I want to. And rinse and repeat…

So yeah a sporadic schedule, but it's the schedule. Rammus says deal with it.

So yeah, nothing else. Review/fav/alert if you want to.

Bai bai!

~DTH~


	4. Chapter 4

After the League – A League of Legends Fanfiction by Deathlark. Chapter 4, Freljord Diplomacy

De AuThor's Note: I forgot to talk about other stuff in the previous chapter's itinerary, so you're getting it now.

If you saw "romance" listed under the type of this story, let me clear this up. There is going to be shipping. At least 12 pairs right now, so a lot of shipping. However, it's going to be some time before I start doing some shipping. I'm looking at the first pair to be introduced at chapter 15, second 20, and probably on the same 5th chapter schematic mentioned in the itinerary.

I may add more, as I'm debating a 13th pair. You could offer suggestions, but I will reply if I already have a pair for the character(s). (P.S.: Some rather obvious ones will be in this XD) I'm also going to avoid lemons for the sake of this story, sorry lemon lovers. It doesn't seem that _right _for this story. Love, yes. Sex, no. However, this doesn't mean that I might add some provocative scenes in the story; just no sex (of any kind).

Bluegh, I feel weird after writing that. Let's get that out of the way, and enjoy the story.

**Dat Disclaimer: I don't got no rights to da League of Legends.**

… (I'm using these as separators now because doesn't like the bar signs)

Ashe woke up to a stutter in her walk. She was unsteady, confused, and not feeling too well. She realized she was at the foot of one of the Freljord mountains on the south side. Just a few more miles around the mountain and you're out of the cold.

She was awfully suspicious of Swain. She could tell something was lurking in Swain's plan with all this weird void talk. She made then notion that it was for Noxus' intentions. She had a motive to stop whatever he had planned, considering Noxus is an enemy of the Barbarian tribe.

What Ashe also thought is that it would be best to group up with as many of her allies as possible. Especially with this free-for-all game of search and deliver, there was great power in numbers. Trustworthy people more importantly. She felt that she could only ally with those that belonged to Freljord.

Considering this, where there people other than champions here? It was barren rock and snow for all she could see. Even during the cold season there were typically people going in and out of the Freljord passes.

Ashe didn't like the bone-chilling cold for now. She decided to walk around the mountain waiting for something to happen, with her bow on the ready.

She started to sense a presence of someone else, wandering and scared. The cold managed to help her in some situations, such as spotting. She was taught ways to see what's coming just from a small alteration of snow. It was in the formation she knew; blowing quicker in just one direction. Ashe quickly submerged herself into the snow on the mountain. She dug a crevice large enough that she could draw back her bow and shoot through the hole. It wasn't comfortable, but it was enough.

She drew her bow and waited for someone to walk in front.

She started to hear heavy-footed treading, and moaning and groaning. She drew back further, sensing danger.

There was silence aside from the stomping. It was loathed and tough. It was a large thudding noise; Ashe had no clue who it could be. She became more nervous as the steps came closer. She remained composed to keep her focus.

As soon as the figure walked in front of the whole, she released her bow, driving the arrow straight into the man's side. She covered up her hiding spot quickly, afraid of what might be on the other side.

The man yelled out. It got muffled with the snow, so again Ashe couldn't identify him. She became more scared every second. There was a bit of silence.

Ashe knew the only thing she could do was draw another arrow, and ready it into the bow.

She drew back.

Suddenly, the entire wall of snow piled down from a large hand. Ashe shot out her arrows as fast as she could.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" she heard the man yell. She stopped shooting as she recognized the voice.

"Tryndamere?" Ashe asked, looking over the pile of snow. She saw Tryndamere littered with several of Ashe's arrows. She suddenly felt very guilty. "Oh… sorry… I didn't know it was you." Tryndamere pulled the arrows out of him slowly, grunting with each one.

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't shoot me again. How are you?" he asked.

"Er, nervous. Because of this… thing…" Ashe answered.

"I feel the same way, a bit nervous. I forgot to get some clothes before this started. I'm freezing, can we get out of here?" Tryndamere asked. Ashe did know that the cold land stopped not too far from where they were, but Ashe preferred the terrain of Freljord for hunting.

"No, I'd like to stay around Freljord, see if we can find any allies," Ashe replied.

"Or enemies? Seriously I can't take the cold like you," Tryndamere argued. Ashe stiffened. It was silently agreed they would work together in a group.

"Well you better get used to it if you want us to be in a group," Ashe said, maintaining her position. Tryndamere was about to say something, but then he lost his words. He pouted.

"Fine…" he said reluctantly.

"Good, then let's get lower on the ground. It's colder up on the mountains," Ashe suggested.

So the two trotted down the hill, almost slipping and tumbling down. Ashe found that Tryndamere, even for a northerner, was not acclimated to Freljord's terrain that well. Funny considering the journey they made there, and the time they've spent in Freljord.

Ashe had to guide Tryndamere to a low in the valley where it was less detectable, warmer, and had a good way to set up home.

The two made a large indent in the side of an ice wall and set up a small camp. Ashe showed Trynd how to ice fish with arrows, and in turn Trynd did the heavy lifting. It was a good partnership, both confident that they would make it through.

By the end of the night, Trynd and Ashe were calmly asleep on their armor on the floors of ice with a nice large pile of uncooked fish. It was a comfortable start that wouldn't last long.

…

Sejuani woke up to the far north of Freljord; right next to the sea. Her boar, who she named Kevin, was waiting for her to get up, a bit nervous of whether his master was dead or alive. When she slowly got up, he happily greeted her with a warm nuzzle and a lick. He was a bit like a big dog at times.

"Yes, I'm ok Manny, calm down," Sejuani said. One thing Sejuani liked about Kevin was that his fur allowed her warmth of comfort. If there was a lack of a proper bed, she would sleep on top of him. There were other things that bugged Sejuani about Kevin, such as his wild need to sleep a lot, but she ignored them frequently (if she could).

"You're awake," she heard a man say. She turned behind her and saw the hero of Piltover, Jayce, sitting down on a rock tuning his hammer.

"What are you doing here?" Sejuani asked.

"Your boar was worried sick, so I would make sure that it wouldn't die sad. Now that you're awake, I'll be going," Jayce answered.

"Oh, ok. It would be better if we stick together actually, after all, there's power in numbers," Sejuani suggested. Jayce stopped for a second.

"I thought about it. Then I decided not to care. I'll be fine on my own," Jayce said, then getting up and leaving.

"No! I'm serious, do you know what's out there in Freljord?" Sejuani asked. Jayce shook his head. "Then you clearly don't know the difficulties. Even if you try to go alone, I'm not going to let your insolence get you killed. I'm going with you." Jayce rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Whatever 'princess'." Sejuani glared, but upheld what she had said.

The two eventually calmed down from their stern attitudes, and Sejuani directed them to a calmer part of northern Freljord. This part of Freljord was where her tribe resided, so she was acclimated to the terrain. Sejuani felt that Valoran was simply in a transformed and put into a realm. So she knew the structures would remain, so she traveled to her tribe.

When she reached the hill in which her tribe settled, she saw that people were still there.

"Other people?" Jayce asked, surprised they were there.

"I guess so. Come on," Sejuani said, kicking Kevin to signal to get moving. They ran off to the village.

"Ah! Our leader! You have returned!" one man said. Sejuani thanked all those that were there, and asked what was going on. They were all clueless. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

"What? What do you mean nothing's happened? Are you sure there was no change?" Sejuani asked. Everyone remained silent. Sejuani was confused.

"That can't be right… I remember there being a massive blast… all the way to Piltover…" Jayce said to himself.

"Me too… I was in Freljord…" Sejuani said as well.

"Leader, there was no blast of any sort. Nothing ever happened. You left to go and scout out fishing grounds," one woman replied. Sejuani's eye was suddenly caught by a man walking out of the tent. She recognized him.

"What is going on out here?" he said in his distinct voice.

"Taric! My hammer rival…" Jayce snarled under his breath.

"Woah, let's not get aggressive here," Sejuani denoted, trying to make sure nothing got violent. "Taric, what are you doing here?"

"I was recovered and brought to health by these people. Are they your followers?" Taric asked.

"Yes… Well, if they trust you I see no reason why I cannot. Welcome to the tribe," Sejuani greeted.

"Thank you, but what shall we do of this predicament?" Taric asked.

"We will… cope with what will happen. I'm interested in the power offered, but will only uphold if it crosses our path," Sejuani replied.

"I'd like a piece of that. Would work pretty well for some things…" Jayce mumbled. Sejuani ignored him a bit.

"Yes, I like that idea. But for now, I'd like to settle down a bit before we move. Is that fine?" Sejuani asked.

"Yes," Taric answered.

"*Sigh* Fine princess," Jayce replied.

They calmed down and each got their respective roles in the tribe. Sejuani resumed position and took care of some of the tribe's affairs.

While many things were weird, Sejuani knew there were many more pieces to this puzzle. She knew that they would just have to find them.

…

Yep! That's this chapter. After the next chapter there will be a lengthy intermission (a month+) and then I'll write 5 more chapters. Rinse and repeat until the story is done.

Nothing else now. Reviews are greatly appreciated and responded to, and favs/alerts are _ADOOOOOOORED _3.

So nothing else. BUHBAIIIEY

~DTH~


	5. Chapter 5

After the League – A League of Legends Fanfiction by Deathlark. Chapter 5, The Maintain

**Author's Note: **Hello readers, and yeah, sorry, this is going to be the last chapter I make for a while. :/

At least this is a staple chapter, so I hope it serves its purpose as content to you guys.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to League of Legends. This is merely for my own enjoyment.**

…

As soon as all the champions were sent to their selected spots, Swain took a moment to breathe and calm down.

He had absorbed all the powers that were being concentrated in the summoner hall at the Institute of War. He knew what he could do, but Swain knew better. Although he surely craved a defeat over Demacia, he knew that the power would be too much to handle. There was no way to dispose of the power aside from releasing it, but it could damage the world like the Rune wars have. It could not be transferred; Swain had to stay in the same spot. He was essentially an immobile mass of energy. Irony, like Xerath.

Swain also wanted to use some of the power as an advantage over Demacia… But Swain was wiser than that. As the chosen general of Noxus, a duty was to speak to the heart of Noxus. What he was told he would never share, but it had changed him. He had realized that war should only be won in fair tactics. Swain, following what he was told, knew that he should not use the power of Demacia. Defying his natural instincts was unusual.

So instead, Swain needed a way to channel the magic. So he released it into a beacon in the sky, and cast a sheet over the main continent of Valoran; every part of it excluding the Shadow Isles, Ionia, and the Blue Flame Islands. He had the entire region under lock and key, and only he had the key.

Once again, Swain was a man of honor. He decided this would be a way to test who are the true masters and warriors of power in the world. Those would get the power that was harbored within Swain. With intelligence, he knew that all the power could end in terror, so they would only be able to use a minor part of the magic Swain had. The rest of the magic would lie in a sheet over Valoran. Sailors could still pass through, but they would no longer be able to access the magic they contained.

Idealistically, Swain could set forth an enormous portion of magic to one deed. It was an impressive use, and a rather dangerous one, but could be accomplished. A way of accomplishing this power interested Swain. He wanted some ideas of making sure it would be secure, and not fall into the wrong hands, yet entice everyone into competition. So, he organized this game. He added some interesting aspects too.

He selected where which champions should be placed in a new battlefield. He replicated Valoran and inserted it into a magical realm, similar to the Summoner's Rift and the Crystal Scar. He simply called it "The Battleground". It contained all the parts of Valoran's main continent, excluding the islands outside of Valoran. In fact, the world falls off into nothing at the end of the world. Not even the void or another dimension, it's just blank emptiness. Fortunately, no one can enter this emptiness; they would bounce back trying.

Having some ideas, he placed certain champions closer and farther from each other; Swain wasn't a heartless man, he placed many champions that were friends with each other closer together. Maybe a few exceptions here and there, but he had ideas. Lux and Garen's placement, both in Demacia, was this sort of notion. He also wanted a bit of competition though, so he decided to place some enemies not that far from each other either. For example, he placed both Ashe and Sejuani in Freljord, a matter of miles (which is not that large for them) away from each other.

Swain also needed some influence. Some people are very skeptical and hard to sway over. Notably, everyone would have some skepticism, but he could use words to sound more convincing. So, he decided to name some important items after the void to sway over the void followers and creatures, like Malzahar. For some Shadow Islers, as well as some in the Great Barrier, he started to connect them to certain areas. Those from the Shadow Isles typically in the more haunted areas, such as Marshes and Bogs, and those below the Great Barrier in their respective lands… Some.

So he invented the Battleground. Once the 10 artifacts that he had placed in created or existing places had been obtained by one group and placed in the altar in a specific cave he created, he would relinquish everyone that was stuck in the Maintain (if they had died 5 times) and liberate those from the Battleground.

The Maintain was something else. The exact arcane room Swain stood in was the Maintain. It is actually the embodiment inside the great arcane power that Swain contained. In there, he had a capsule for every champion, or prison. It was a large room, containing over 100 cells. It was organized in a circle, and Swain was in the center.

The Maintain had a wall in each cell. The walls actually contain scripts, programmed with tech devices from Zaun and Piltover. It would display which champions died, their lives left, and whom to and how they died. It would display:

_(CHAMPIONNAME): LIVES LEFT - # OF LIVES LEFT | DEATH: (KILLER AND CAUSE OF DEATH)_

They would have to figure it out, but the champions can access the Maintain through sheer meditation. This was not spiritual meditation though; you had to teleport yourself to the Maintain manually. However, this was not accounted for in the Battleground, and it would act as if the champion had not even left. So it would be a blink, and then they would have gone to the Maintain and back.

This was the Maintain, and Swain stood there for as long as the Battleground was going on. Swain could actually act as a summoner, and transport himself onto the ground; summoning himself. It was a task he learned through the vast arcane knowledge he absorbed.

So he stood in the center of the Maintain, and summoned himself down to the field. He knew just exactly the place to start.

…

Katarina was hunting in the Serpentine river. She hovered just above the river, supported only by the tips of her feet on the edge of a stream. She faced down, watching the fish swim by, waiting for when one would come close enough to the surface to strike.

She patiently waited. Her legs didn't tire from all the supporting she had to do.

Suddenly, a fish came up a little bit. She swung down and stabbed the fish directly with her blade. She reeled herself back to shore, and took off the fish. She had eaten 3 before, so she had already gotten used to the taste of raw fish.

She looked at the bleeding fish, getting hungry. When she went to cut it up, something unexpected happened.

A crow swooped down and plucked the fish right out of the air. She jumped suddenly, and watched the crow fly to a tree. Bloody bird, she thought. She went to the tree to find where the crow dropped her meal.

When she climbed up, she was jumped.

"BOO!" yelled Swain from the tree. Katarina screamed as she fell and landed on the ground roughly.

"Ahaha, sorry general, but I couldn't resist myself. Here crow, here," Swain called to his crow. The crow dropped the fish. Katarina looked up, a bit furious and dazed from what Swain did. She saw him cutting up the fish she had caught into two pieces. "I'm terribly sorry, Crows love fish. I couldn't let him go hungry. Don't worry, this time I'll catch my own crow." Swain dropped the fish she had caught into Katarina's hands. It was sliced up cleanly.

"Swain! What is the meaning of all this?" Katarina asked a bit mad.

"Well, get me down from this tree! Then we'll talk." Katarina rolled her eyes, but helped the handicapped man down. "Thank you. I'll tell you what happened."

Swain told the entire story, about the Institute of War and Ezreal, and the boring truth that what he said was no conniving scheme. Katarina was a bit irritated.

"So you mean we have no way out of here?" Katarina asked.

"Not even I can leave. I can be in the maintain, so can you, but truly we will all have to wait until one group gets all those artifacts. Oh and a grim consequence; if we all die somehow, then this is an infinite realm that we are stuck in. So I hope that puts some emphasis in the: 'don't die' aspect." Katarina shivered.

"Swain…" Katarina groaned.

"I know, but nothing comes perfectly served. So I suggest doing your best. And we should group up with others. No point going as 2, as the more the merrier. Also, did I mention that are still people here?" Swain enticed.

"There are… people? As in those that aren't champions?" Katarina asked.

"Yes. There are a few that are scattered, forced to be nomadic, but most will be living in cities. I made it so that Demacia and Noxus are cities without people actually, as it would offset the balance of power. Also, Ionia, the Shadow Isles, and the Blue Flame Islands aren't here. At the edge of this world, there is nothing. You can't go into this emptiness, but it's scary that it is there."

"That's weird… So where do you think we should go?" Katarina asked.

"Zaun. Plenty of Noxian teamed people are there. I did match people to their nationality, so I would not suggest going to Piltover or Freljord. Demacia is empty, so that doesn't matter. Oh, as for our position, we are at the edge of the second curve from the north of the Serpentine River. Going east and somewhat north would bring us to Zaun in a few weeks, due to the mountains giving us trouble. Does it sound like a plan?" Swain asked. He held out his hand. Katarina was unsure. She always had her doubts and suspicion, but decided that the creator of all this had it under control. So she shook his hand, and went along with Swain's plan.

They began to trek northeast, with Swain's head held high. His crow would prove useful aerial spotting. It would be tough to kill him.

…

Okay, this is it for a while. Sadface.

Oh, as for that shipping ting last chapter, let's say it's gone from 13 to 15. I'm preventing myself to placing more, as I've already gone out of my way to make some amends to the original plotline. Soooo no more. Oh well.

I will see you eventually once the time to write these chapters comes again. Bai.

~DTH~


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